Christine Gregoire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Christine "Chris" O'Grady Gregoire (born March 24, 1947) is the Democratic governor of the U.S. State of Washington. She was declared the winner over Republican Dino Rossi in the 2004 gubernatorial race after two recounts amid legal challenges and political controversy.
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Biography
Gregoire was raised in Auburn, Washington, and graduated from the University of Washington and Gonzaga University Law School. She served as the director of the Washington Department of Ecology from 1988 until 1992, when she was first elected attorney general, a post to which she was twice re-elected. While Ecology director she negotiated a triparty agreement in 1989 with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy to clean up waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. As attorney general she sued several times to try to get a more adequate cleanup progress. Congress has not appropriated a sufficient level of funding to allow the pace of activity anticipated by the original agreement, now estimated to require a total of $50 to $100 billion. Dissatisfaction with the slow pace of cleanup led to a successful initiative in 2004 that requires the refusal of new waste shipments until past cleanup promises are back on track.
Gregoire was also heavily involved in the lawsuit against the tobacco industry in the 1990s and won the state a $4.5 billion share of the settlement, including a $500 million bonus for her lead role. She was critical when a large part of Washington State's share of the money went into the general budget and was not specifically ear-marked for tobacco related issues.
Controversy arose in 2000 when Gregoire's office failed to file documents on time in an appeal of a record $17.8 million personal-injury verdict against Washington state. An independent investigation forced state attorney Janet Capps to resign. Capps later sued the state for wrongful termination. Documents from the independent investigation show that Gregoire's deputies attempted to influence the report on who was responsible for the missed deadline. This event is considered the low point in Gregoire's career and her biggest political liability.
In the 2004 gubernatorial race, Gregoire was accused of racism when it was revealed that she belonged to an all-white sorority while at the University of Washington. She countered the accusations by claiming to have spoken out after graduating. Gregoire defeated Ron Sims and four other minor candidates in the primary election on September 14, 2004. Sims campaigned on the need for tax reform. The racial issue was cited as a reason why Gregoire's performance among blacks and liberal whites was not as strong as expected.
During the general election against former state senator and real estate agent Dino Rossi, Gregoire proposed a major initiative in life sciences, especially stem cell research. She was criticized for being a part of the Olympia establishment but tried to counter the "time for a change" message by saying she would "blow past the bureaucracy" and bring change herself. This language surprised and disappointed many of her colleagues and supporters. She was also criticized for failing to give much mention or credit to the efforts and achievements of past Democratic governors while being quite self-congratulatory about her own public service.
A major focus of ads attacking Gregoire was her failing to meet a filing deadline as attorney general that ended up costing the state millions of dollars. In 2002, during a wrongful death lawsuit against the state, Gregoire’s office did not detect an error in jury instructions; the state was eventually hit with a $22.4 million judgment as a result of that lawsuit. And in 2000, an assistant attorney general missed a filing deadline in a personal injury lawsuit against the state that eventually cost taxpayers almost $19 million. While Gregoire was not directly in charge of these cases, as Attorney General she was ultimately responsible for them.
When not in Olympia, Gregoire lives in the nearby suburb of Lacey with her husband Mike. They have two daughters, Courtney and Michelle, both graduates of Olympia High School.
The disputed election
Main article: Washington gubernatorial election, 2004
The election was held on November 2, 2004. The initial count showed her trailing Rossi by 261 votes; however, a legally mandated machine recount diminished that lead to only 42 votes. On December 3, the Democratic Party requested and funded a hand recount. They also filed a motion in the state Supreme Court to request that rejected ballots from King County that were not counted previously be reevaluated. A Pierce County Superior Court judge ruled that ballots should not be counted, but on December 22, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the rejected King County ballots should be counted. Of those 732 ballots, 566 were accepted as having valid signatures and were added to the existing total on December 23. The final results of the hand count, as of December 23,[1] (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-12-23-washington-recount_x.htm) had Christine Gregoire ahead by 130 votes, solidifying the 10-vote lead she had before the previously rejected King County ballots were tabulated. On December 30, Republican Secretary of State Sam Reed certified Gregoire as the winner by 129 votes (he removed one vote which had been counted in Thurston County past the deadline).
The GOP claimed they knew of military voters overseas who had never received ballots from King County, saying that "wounded soldiers in Falluja" had the right to vote and trumpeting veterans to confront King County election officials; King County election director Dean Logan disputed the charge, asserting that they had sent out all the absentee ballots were sent on time, including ballots to military voters. The GOP then claimed that military voters registered in Snohomish County had not received ballots, and that King County officials allowed felons to vote. Election officials in Snohomish and King County disputed these latest charges as well. Republicans said they would use the courts to block any final election results, possibly even going to the federal courts by citing the equal protection clause in the US Constitution, or having a new vote. Gregoire's victory was certified in late December, making this the first time in Washington state history that a recount reversed an election result, and making Washington the first state with a female governor and 2 female US senators (Patty Murray, Maria Cantwell).
Republicans continued to dispute election accuracy in a case in the Superior Court for Chelan County, one of the most conservative counties in the state. They hoped to have Gregoire's election invalidated in time for a revote in 2006. On June 6, 2005, Judge John Bridges upheld the election (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2002319056_webverdict06.html), singling out King County's election methods for criticism but saying that the Republicans were unable to prove any fraud or invalidity. Later that day Dino Rossi announced that the "political makeup of the Washington Supreme Court" made it "almost impossible to overturn this ruling" and was therefore "ending this election contest."
First legislative session
Gregoire's first legislative session, running 105 days from January 9, 2005 to April 24, 2005, was widely touted as productive, producing nearly 500 pieces of legislation. This is most likely due to the Democratic majorities in both state houses and the installation of a Democratic governor.
Bills passed in this session signed by Gregoire include:
- election reforms needed after Gregoire's thin victory uncovered flaws
- creation of a billion-dollar life sciences discovery fund
- lifting the blue law on Sunday liquor sales
- increasing health care insurance for the poor
- raising taxes for cigarettes and alcohol
- requiring new public buildings meet environmental standards for energy efficiency and water conservation (so-called green buildings)
- providing cost of living pay raises for teachers
- reinstating the estate tax
- funding voter Initiative 728 to reduce class sizes
- adding more seats at Washington state colleges and universities
- requiring health insurers to give equal treatment to mental disorders
Gas tax increase
The session ended with Gregoire brokering a bipartisan transportation package. The package included a 9.5-cent-a-gallon gas-tax increase to help repair many roads in Washington, particularly around Seattle area, such as the Alaskan Way Viaduct, Interstate 405, and the Route 520 bridge. This proposal was initially rejected by the House but then passed with a revote the final day of the 2005 session.
The tax package was met with mixed reviews. While she was praised widely by Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate for her leadership skills regarding passing this deal, several state congresspeople disagreed with the merit of the tax. Their reasons included the heavy emphasis on funding Seattle area projects and the already high price of gas.
It is speculated that John Carlson and Tim Eyman will organize and drive a voter initiative to repeal the transportation package and the gasoline tax.
Gay civil rights bill
One notable bill that failed was HB 1515, the so-called gay civil rights bill, expanding the scope of protected classes to include sexual orientation and gender identity in cases of discrimination. The bill passed the state House 61-37 but failed in the Senate by one vote; 24-25.
External links
- Campaign website (http://www.gregoire2004.com/)
- Governor's official website (http://www.governor.wa.gov/)
- Christine Gregoire Watch (http://www.permanentdefense.org/)
- Conservative blog on current events regarding the election (http://www.soundpolitics.com/)
References
Seattle P-I article about her first legislative session (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/223325_gregoiremain07.html)
| Preceded by: Ken Eikenberry | Washington State Attorney General 1993 – 2005 | Succeeded by: Rob McKenna |
| Preceded by: Gary Locke | Governors of Washington 2005 – present | Succeeded by: Incumbent |
